Renée Zellweger's used to crafting a character ... but it looks like she's a master at crafting pottery, too!

We've obtained pics of the actress -- clad in a white shirt and baseball cap -- hanging out Thursday with her boyfriend, Ant Anstead, at the Sawdust Festival in Long Beach ... and she got hands-on with some arts and crafts.

The annual summer art festival brought out Renée's creative side ... because she grabbed an apron and sat down to throw some pottery -- while her man cheered her.

It's not exactly a Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore moment from "Ghost" ... but Ant lets Renée take control of the pottery wheel while he stands by and watches her give it her all.

The two were later spotted chatting with a pal ... enjoying a few hours out in the SoCal sun.

If you don't know ... Renée and Ant have been together for a long time now -- they met on "Celebrity IOU: Joyride," and a romance was born.

While the relationship is going well, it's had some external challenges ... including a lawsuit recently filed by a woman who claims she was injured at the couple's rental home.

Bottom line ... Renée and Ant are clearly not glazed and confused ... they're super into each other -- and pottery, apparently!